Page 5 of Captain's Orders
"I haven't been pining. Stop saying that."
"Everyone's seen it. I have a list."
"There's no list."
"There's absolutely a list. It's a mental one. I started it after the first time you openly gawked at her when she hauled that anchor line in by hand when the windlass jammed. Remember? First charter, forty knots of wind."
Dani remembered. She also remembered being unable to look away from Jordan's forearms, the cords of muscle standing out as she worked the line.
"You were practically drooling," Lindsay added.
"I was not—" Dani stopped herself. "Whatever. Just give me the chicken."
Lindsay handed her the plates with a grin that promised this conversation wasn't over.
Dani had barely set the chicken down when Sarah waved her over. "What's the plan for this afternoon?" she asked. "The kids are hoping for some water activities."
"Of course." Dani mentally scrolled through the itinerary the family had signed off on. They all had a printed copy in their rooms but most guests ignored them. "We're making the crossing to the Bahamas this afternoon and overnight, so we'll arrive at Highbourne Cay tomorrow morning. There's a beautiful private beach there, and we'll anchor for snorkeling and some time ashore."
"Tomorrow morning?" Sarah's voice rose. "The kids can't wait until tomorrow. They've been cooped up in a car all morning and need to burn off energy. They've been promised a beach today."
"We do have the hot tub on the sundeck," Dani offered.
"No, that's not good enough. They want to swim. In the ocean. Not a hot tub." Sarah's tone had an edge to it, the impatience of someone used to getting her way. "Can't we stop somewhere on the way?"
The rest of the adults looked a little irritated at Sarah's request, but they didn't interfere.
Dani kept her smile in place. She'd already anticipated this. "We can absolutely make a swim stop before the crossing. There's a beautiful reef anchorage about an hour from here—Looe Key. Shallow, clear water, lots of fish for the kids to see. We can anchor there for a couple of hours, let everyone swim, and then start the passage to the Bahamas afterward."
"That would be better." Sarah started scrolling through her phone while she took a bite of fish, apparently considering the matter settled.
Dani topped off their drinks and headed for the bridge. A route change meant recalculating arrival times, which meant adjusting dinner service, which meant Lindsay losing prep time. Everyone's planned breaks would shift around.
But the crew wouldn't complain. This was the job—adapting on the fly, making it look effortless, keeping the guests happy even when they tore up the itinerary before the first day was over.
4
JORDAN
The book was a history of naval warfare in the Pacific. Not exactly light reading, but Jordan had always found comfort in strategy and logistics. Tonight, though, she'd read the same paragraph three times without taking in a word.
She was waiting. She didn't want to admit she was waiting, but the evidence was there: the way her eyes kept drifting toward the door, the way she'd checked the time four times in the past twenty minutes, the way her body refused to settle into a comfortable position.
It was nearly eleven. The charter dinner had finished an hour ago, but Dani was usually busy handling last-minute requests such as extra pillows, bedtime tea and other small tasks that kept her on her feet.
The door finally opened and Dani slipped inside, closing it softly behind her. She looked exhausted—shoulders slightly slumped, blonde wisps of hair escaping from her ponytail.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I'll try to be quiet."
"It's okay, I'm reading." Jordan held up the book. "How was your day?"
Dani let out a breath that was almost a laugh, leaning back against the closed door. "Do you want the diplomatic version or the honest version?"
"Honest. Always."
"Well, the children are feral. But the daughter, Sarah, is worse than the children. At least they have the excuse of being young. Sarah spent the entire afternoon on her phone while Grace wrangled her kids. And then at dinner, she sent back the lamb because it was 'too lamby.'" Dani's voice took on a slightly higher pitch. "What does that even mean? Too lamby? It's lamb. It tastes like lamb. What was she expecting, for it to taste like chicken?"
Jordan's mouth twitched. "What did Lindsay say?"
